DuVernay, LL Cool J to receive Harvard W.E.B. Du Bois medals

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – “Selma” director Ava DuVernay and rapper LL Cool J are among the recipients of Harvard University’s 2017 W.E.B. Du Bois medals honouring those who have made significant contributions to African and African-American history and culture.

The school announced Monday that they will be honoured at the fifth-annual Hutchins Center Honors on Oct. 4 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Other medallists this year include Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile, artist Kara Walker, Microsoft Chairman John Thompson and Ford Foundation President Darren Walker.

The awards are presented by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

Last year’s honorees included actress Pam Grier.

W.E.B. Du Bois was a civil rights activist, historian and sociologist who died in 1963.